COLLEGEVILLE – An illustrated lecture by the curator of the exhibition Transitions: Works by Françoise Gilot, will be presented Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. in the Main Gallery by Mel Yoakum, Ph.D., noted Gilot scholar.

The exhibition focuses on the evolution of Gilot’s approach to composition and color beginning with her generative Labyrinth Series and including key works into the 21st century. Rich abstraction in a bold, powerful palette, a mainstay of her work, transitions to references to the figure, botanicals and still life.

Dr. Yoakum began his association with Francoise Gilot in 1987, organizing exhibitions and cataloguing her extensive oeuvre of oil paintings and works on paper. He has been Director of The F. Gilot Archives with the curatorial responsibility of documentation, research and exhibition of the artist’s work. Dr. Yoakum is the author of Stone Echoes: Original Prints by Francoise Gilot - A Catalogue Raisonne (1995), Francoise Gilot Monograph 1940-2000 (2001) and Francoise Gilot: Painting – Malerei (2003) as well as numerous exhibition catalogue essays and articles about Gilot and her trajectory as a respected international artist. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Berman Museum of Art.

The collaboration between Gilot and the Berman Museum of Art is a rich one, established some 20 years ago. Transitions represents the fourth exhibition of her work at the Museum, whose benefactors Muriel and Philip Berman donated several of her works to the permanent collection as they formed a friendship with Gilot, and collected her works and commissioned several original lithograph editions. The Berman presented the exhibition Stone Echoes: Original Lithographs by Françoise Gilot in 1995, and published the first catalogue devoted to her original prints. The Berman hosted a second major exhibition in 1997, For Ever and Day: Floating Paintings and Monotypes by François Gilot, and presented Françoise Gilot 1940 -1950, in 2001 when she received an honorary degree from Ursinus.

Advertisement

The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College, known for its diverse collection and innovative educational programming, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Museum is closed to the public Mondays and college holidays. The Museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities, and admission is free. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.